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Seven Things We Learned About Greg Stroman

As players take their final breaks before training camp, Redskins.com will look back at the new faces from this offseason and what we've learned about them, football and otherwise, so far.

Today we’ll focus on cornerback Greg Stroman.

1. He's a native of the Washington, D.C. area.

Stroman and fellow rookie Tim Settle both grew up in Bristow, Va., just about a half hour away from the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in Loudoun County, Va. He joined the Virginia Tech Hokies one year before the Redskins' 2018 fifth-round draft choice in Settle, and the two played together at Stonewall Jackson (Va.) High School as well.

It's remarkable to think that the two rookies have been on the same team for such a long time, but the odds that they were to join each other at the professional level is even more amazing due to the size of the NFL Draft and incredibly small chance of actually being selected by one of the 32 teams.

﻿2. Defensive backs coach Torrian Gray is familiar with the rookie.

As the fourth cornerback to be drafted out of Virginia Tech in the last five years, Stroman represents a program that has established itself as one of the premier schools in developing talent at the position. This can partially be attributed to former defensive backs coach at the school and current Redskins defensive backs coach Torrian Gray finding the right players to fit his previous secondary, and preparing them well for the next level.

"He's intense," Stroman said of Gray. "He wants to win and puts a lot into the game – watching film and things like that. Those are some things I've learned from him. Definitely ready to get back to that and learn some more.”

3. He's a dual-threat player.

In his four years with the Hokies, Stroman averaged nearly nine yards per return in 127 career punt returns and scored four touchdowns. After running a 4.48 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, the rookie cornerback is hoping that he will be given an opportunity to showcase his return skills at the professional level.

In addition to his play on special teams, Stroman solidified himself as one of the ACC's best defensive backs last season after being named first-team All-ACC at cornerback and posting a career high of four interceptions.

Stroman's performance at training camp could determine how both defensive coordinator Greg Manusky and special teams coordinator Ben Kotiwca use him in his rookie campaign.

“Just a playmaker, a guy who is just going to go out there and just make plays, a guy that’s going to study film, knows what's going on before the play starts and just finish plays," Stroman said of his playmaking abilities during OTAs. "Catch interceptions and take punts to the house.”

4. He was a part of one of the best traditions in college football for four years.

The rookie was a recurring captain for the Hokies last season in their run to the Camping World Bowl against Oklahoma State, and was responsible for leading the team out in its electrifying pregame entrance of "Enter Sandman" by Metallica.

In the marquee game of the year against Clemson on Sept. 30, 2017, Stroman and the Hokies sprinted out to a stadium of more than 65,000, and a tradition that had been known for a decade in Blacksburg, Va., finally received a national audience.

5. He's not the first multi-purpose cornerback to come out of Virginia Tech and join the Redskins.

While longtime Redskins defensive back and Virginia DeAngelo Hall may have played last downs in the NFL, another Hokie steps in with Stroman. Of course, Hall was an excellent player for Washington as a cornerback and in special teams, recording 23 interceptions and occasionally getting work in as a return man in his 10 seasons with the team.

Stroman finds himself working in a secondary with plenty of depth, so his opportunity to shine is reliant upon if he'll get an opportunity to help on special teams.

"DeAngelo Hall took some there at the very end and right now on our roster we really don't have anybody that can catch a punt other than Jamison, so it was very important for us to address that. So with Greg and with Trey [Quinn], the last pick here, both of them have punt return experience, so that was good," said Redskins head coach Jay Gruden.
"And Greg is also a good corner."

Photos - Practice

2018 Rookie Minicamp: Day 2

The Washington Redskins held their second rookie minicamp practice of 2018 on May 12, 2018, at the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in Loudoun County, Va.

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6.He's joining a veteran secondary that will help his transition.

While Stroman is a seventh-round pick, that doesn't exempt him from not performing at the highest level possible as he tries to make a name from himself in a deep secondary.

That being said, if he can prove to the Redskins' coaching staff that he is worthy of making the 53-man roster, Stroman may become somewhat of a project because of how he can impact the course of a game in multiple areas.

It benefits Stroman early on to have multiple veterans helping him grow into his position as an NFL player. At cornerback, he has the likes of Josh Norman and Orlando Scandrick among others while D.J. Swearinger, a defensive captain in his first season in Washington, leads the safeties.

“Guys like [D.J.] Swearinger, guys like [Josh Norman], [Orlando] Scandrick knows, older guys who have been around the block and know football and have a lot of experiences," Gray said. "Those young guys kind of eat up those guys’ information and stuff like that. So it’s great to have those guys.”

7. He won't be sporting his beloved No. 3 on the Redskins.

Ever since he was a dual-threat quarterback in high school, Stroman has stayed with the same jersey number. It's become such a big part of his life that his Instagram and Twitter handles are variations of "I am GS3."